House and Senate leaders Thursday announced a new effort to overhaul U.S. wiretapping laws that appears likely to let telecommunications companies escape lawsuits over the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program. Feingold blasted the deal and urged Democrats to oppose "the flawed and dangerous policies of this administration."

"Allowing courts to review the question of immunity is meaningless when the same legislation essentially requires the court to grant immunity," said Feingold, who sits on the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees. "And under this bill, the government can still sweep up and keep the international communications of innocent Americans in the U.S. with no connection to suspected terrorists, with very few safeguards to protect against abuse of this power."